🏒 Power Plays: NHL DFS Picks for DraftKings + FanDuel | Connor McDavid 3/8

There is a smaller six-game slate as we wind down the NBA all star break. There are some great matchups tonight with no shortage of plays. Lets dig in and try to find some guys that are going to fill up the back of the net. In this Power Plays article, the goal is to highlight several NHL DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy hockey tournaments. Using Awesemo’s premium proprietary player projections and the top stacks tool, we will highlight several players and situations that will help your team rocket up the leaderboard.

As always, be sure to check our premium Slack for crucial fantasy hockey lineup information in the 20-30 minutes leading up to every game’s lock. With the COVID-19 pandemic still looming, teams have taxi squads and are ready to fill positions daily as teams scratch players. Our Slack chat is hands down one of the best places to get fantasy hockey news and line change notifications.

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NHL Power Plays: DraftKings + FanDuel DFS Picks | March 8

NHL DFS Picks: Centers

Connor McDavid ($9,200 DraftKings/$8,700 FanDuel), Grades

McDavid got rid of the pointless monkey on his back last game against the Flames. He will get to take advantage of the Senators, who are on short rest after playing last night in Calgary. McDavid will also have last change, which means Dave Tippett will likely find some spots to get better matchups for McDavid. Ottawa has played better hockey lately, but their goaltending has been the worst in the league. Together they are giving up the most goals against in the league (3.92 per game), and they have the worst save percentage in the league (.878).

The Oilers are 4-0 head-to-head this year with Ottawa, and they have at least 3 goals in every game played. McDavid is averaging 4 shots per game and has hit the shot bonus five out the last 10 games. Look for the Oilers to take advantage of the short turnaround for the Senators tonight.

Nazem Kadri ($6,300 DraftKings/$6,600 FanDuel), Grades

Playing Kadri tonight is 100% dependent on the status of Nathan MacKinnon. Kadri got a $600 price bump, and it has been warranted givenhis recent form. After MacKinnon went down with the upper body injury, Kadri was moved to pivot the top line between Andre Burakovsky and Mikko Rantanen. Kadri has 14 DraftKings points in five of the last seven games. The Coyotes are still struggling to find their identity and they have struggled over the last 10 games in particular. The Coyotes are 29th in Corsi, 22nd in shots against per 60, 23rd in scoring chances against per 60, 30th in high-danger chances against per 60 and 27th in expected goals against. Kadri will likely be lower-owned since his price has jumped, and I think you could get some leverage.


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NHL DFS PICKS: Wingers

Max Pacioretty ($8,300 DraftKings/$8,000 FanDuel), Grades

Pacioretty has been one of the most consistent fantasy producers in the NHL. He brings leadership and a ton of talent to the Golden Knights. Pacioretty has 8 points in the last four games, and he is also averaging about 5 shots on goal per game. In the previous two meetings with the Wild, Pacioretty managed to light them up for 4 points and 14 shots on goal for an average of 29.2 DraftKings points per game. Minnesota has been playing a lot better since Mats Zuccarello returned. We will likely see Joel Eriksson Ek match up against the Pacioretty line, but with the amount of talent the Vegas top line has, I’m not actively trying to avoid it on a short slate.

Tyler Toffoli ($7,300 DraftKings/$6,600 FanDuel), Grades

Toffoli is on almost a point-per-game pace. He has been phenomenal for the Canadiens with 21 points, and he gets great matchups playing on the third line, as opposing teams don’t have the depth to compete. Josh Anderson came back from a three-game absence due to a lower-body injury, and the trio found chemistry immediately. They will match up with the depth of the Canucks, who have been brutal defensively. Vancouver is giving up the fourth-most goals against per game (3.32) while allowing the second-most shots against per game (33). Over the last 10 games, the Canucks are also allowing the second-most scoring chances and rank 30th in expected goals against per 60 at five-on-five. Going down to the Habs third line should find you some differentiation from the field, as most will likely try to find power-play correlation or go to the top line of Montreal.

Vladimir Tarasenko ($4,200 DraftKings/$6,900 FanDuel), Grades

Tarasenko’s first game back he was $2,500 on DraftKings. But DraftKings’ algorithm still hasn’t caught up to the elite sniper, and $4,200 is a steal. Tarasenko made his debut on Saturday against the Kings. He had 4 shots on goal in a limited role with 16 minutes of ice time. He’s playing on the top line with Ryan O’Reilly and Jordan Kyrou, and he is sharing top power-play duties with O’Reilly. The Blues have the second-highest team total on the night, so I would expect them to be a popular play, but it’s also a smaller slate. San Jose is in the bottom six of every advanced metric we like to look at for NHL DFS. At five-on-five they rank 23rd in Corsi, 25th in expected goals against, 25th in shots against, 25th in scoring chances against and 25th in high-danger scoring chances against. Finally, the Sharks are spending the second-most time short handed on the slate. If you’re looking to find ways to get creative, going to power-play stacks could be your path to success.

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NHL DFS PICKS: Defensemen

Shea Weber ($6,300 DraftKings/$5,100 FanDuel), Grades

Weber’s price continues to rise, but his ceiling still remains higher than Jeff Petry. He is logging over 21 minutes of ice time for the Canadiens, and he’s quarterbacking the top power-play unit. Over the last 10 games, Weber is averaging a solid 4.6 shots/blocks per game. I talked earlier that Vancouver continues to struggle on the defensive side of things, and with Vegas giving the the third-highest team total on the night, there will be plenty of action for Weber. If you are looking to use the Habs second line, then looking to Petry, or even going to a guy like Ben Chiarot to save salary, makes sense.

Torey Krug ($5,600 DraftKings/$5,300 FanDuel), Grades

We need to keep an eye out for News on Krug as he missed the last ten minutes of their last game. He makes for a solid mid-range blueliner tonight if he does give it a go. He is playing over 21 minutes on a nightly basis, and he also gets the coveted top power-play quarterback position. Krug is an offensive-minded defenseman, which we like to see in NHL DFS. Over the last 10 games, Krug has 10 points to go along with 4 shots/blocks on average. Krug has been a big help on the blue line, as the Blues have been without Colton Parayko. He has at least 4 shots on goal in four of the last five games. San Jose is giving up the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing defensemen, and with that top power-play correlation, he makes a strong play.

If Krug does miss, Justin Faulk will likely draw into the top power play quarterback and he will surely be in my exposures.

Top Stacks

Edmonton 1: Leon Draisaitl – Connor McDavid – Kailer Yamamoto

St. Louis 1: Jordan Kyrou – Ryan O’Reilly – Vladimir Tarasenko

Montreal 3: Tyler Toffoli – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Josh Anderson


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Author
As an avid competitor, Jeff "Votts" Votteler grew up playing all types of sports. But as he grew up, he gravitated towards hockey and played at a very competitive level. Fantasy sports became a passion of Votts' over 10 years ago, which in turn moved over to the emerging world of daily fantasy sports for the last five years. Votts likes to dive into the analytics of all the sports, where he can turn over those value "rocks" that players depend on to win on a daily basis.

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